Dew House is a country home that embraces the elements and heightens the senses of nature. Designed as a modern country house, situated in the city of Ubon Ratchathani. The layout follows a standard courtyard house with some extra twists. The house treads the thin line between simple and sophisticated, exploring established ideas with slight variations. The site is accessed via a busy main road and has neighbours on two sides. The last side is mostly greenery.
Contrary to city life where segregation is the norm, in the country homes are part of a homogeneous neighbourhood. Therefore, the design intent was not to create an opaque home detached from the community. It was important not to draw attention to itself through its scale, or high fence which would create a sense of mystery. Giving nothing away would set the project up for failure. The solution was to allow the community to see into certain spaces and sensitively control openings and facade screens according to the needs of various privacy levels, carefully maintained and controlled throughout as a delicate balancing act. Private areas are hidden away from prying eyes, while the living room is designed to be in view of the neighbours as part of the community.
The overall massing is broken up into stacking volumes reducing its visual impact; divided into two main blocks. Living on the roadside. The bedroom block at the back of the site is screened by the living room. The double height volume, is glazed on the bottom and solid on top, blocking direct views of the bedroom from the road. The façade regulates views into the house managing different privacy levels throughout the day. As well as acting as a visual screen, the façade when closed acts as burglar bars which protects the house from break ins.
Like any good country estate, the house is designed not only as a refuge for the owners but also as a refined stage set providing a quiet backdrop for entertaining guests. There are two access routes, designed to serve these two different functions.
When receiving visitors, the house is accessed through a sequential procession. Arriving on a vehicle, guests travel the lengthy driveway past the Forecourt, the house, and underneath the seemingly cantilevering bedroom; through the threshold witness the garage and disembarking at the drop off. Visitors then take the grand walk back along the aluminium grill facade towards the front door. Moving from below one overhanging mass to another, the facade mid-section reveals glimpses of the Core court, the hidden heart of the house. The facade seems inconspicuous with nothing to suggest an entrance, but a few gentle steps leading to a raised platform below a rectangular oculus. The aluminium grill slides open to reveal the glazed door leading to the main living-dining open planned space.
For everyday uses, the family enters from the garage directly into the kitchen making groceries run efficient and effortless. From the kitchen, the space transitions into a semi outdoor seating area part of the Core courtyard and onto the rest of the house. The contrast between the sequences of access demonstrates the balance carefully orchestrated to allow the owners full control of private spaces. Guest’s access route is largely theatre, revealing glimpses into the family’s lives but mainly staying in the periphery. Once inside, the only court fully visible to guests is the undulating landscaped dunes of the front lawn. The family’s route goes directly into the heart of the house, the Core courtyard.
The notion of a standard inward looking courtyard house denies the architecture and its owner of any relationship with the surrounding context. This house seeks to connect itself not only on a social level with neighbours, but also on a fundamental level of connecting with the natural elements. Here there are three courts, Fore, Core, and Central courts.
The Forecourt, the largest and most public out of the three which serves as a buffer between the main road and the house. The Forecourt is comprised of a sea of gravel and little formed grass islands. There are lone evergreen trees, whose sculptural form complements the muted shapes of the house behind. The gravel allows the space to be walked on and reduces maintenance.
The Central court, a semi-public court designed to be enjoyed by the owners and guests. Views of this space is controlled and somewhat restrained. The court provides a clear break between the public and private functions of the house. It is accessed via the living-dining volume, through a tall double height glazed fenestration. Once through, a raised balcony projects into the court. The area is contained, as viewing deck. The idea is to bring the residents close to nature but allowing enough distance between family members and unwanted insects and pests. The space is contained within three solid walls and one semi-permeable wall where the aluminium fin façade wraps around to complete the court. Cool breezes entering through the façade wall into the court as well as shades from the foliage, keeps the drawbridge usable from late afternoon through to early morning. This design solution allows the court to be enjoyed almost all-day round.
Finally, the Core court, as the name suggests is at the heart of the house, only available to the family. The Core court is a double height volume, covered with a roof punctured with varying sized oculus allowing rain and sunshine to fall onto the foliage and ground cover. The ground cover is lush and more flamboyant than the other courts but still maintains its low maintenance concept. The palm trees are picked for their thin foliage and tidy form. The architect utilises it as an intermediary space connecting all functions of the house fostering dialogue between the residents.
By placing the Core court as the heart of the house, the architect surrounds it with shared family functions. The study opens directly onto the court with a small platform, projected and slightly raised so feet can be dangled and brushed against leaves without meeting the ground. On the other side, the kitchen has full view of the court. The owner can cook and appreciate the trees gently swaying and the sun as it enters the court in the morning. Upstairs, on the landing, is a small snug where the family could come together outside their private bedrooms.
The house is designed to bring the residents closer to natural elements, and in the process brings the family closer to each other. The design sentiments hark back to the traditional Thai countryside homes; a sense of place they intimately capture by engaging with the senses look, feel, smell, and sound. The court is therefore designed to be contained and protected against the elements, but also has controlled openings always maintaining connection, so that as the day goes by the family is afforded acute connection with the weather outside through this court. The oculus allows warm morning sun to shine through and create gentle shadows on the floor and wall. Simply by opening the windows in the morning, the smell of fresh morning dew on leaves. The permeable façade allows wind to flow into the court and funnel out the oculus, ruffling foliage and create gentle sways. One could lay on the floor and experience all the senses throughout the day with peace of mind.
The house, is a simple country home, interconnected with nature, neighbourhood, and connects the family together. The architecture does not actively draw attention unto itself, seeking only to be a place that heighten the senses of the client, a place to rest and enjoy life simply, in tuned with nature.
